2018 . . . It's Here!

2018, January 2

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Over the
years, I have come to appreciate the holidays more and more. I no longer find
myself getting frazzled about what needs to be done, but enjoying it. I look
forward to catching up with family, friends and colleagues and participating in
the numerous traditions that come with the season. I reflect on the year soon
to end and think about the year ahead. Actually, I don't just think about the year ahead, I tell others about what I have in mind. This
is one of my favorite things to do and I think it is really important step. When I share what I want to accomplish, people
often ask what I need or if they can help. Quite often, I have goals that can't
be achieved without involving those around me. Declaring my intentions gives
others the opportunity to ask me questions and learn more. It gives me a chance
to extend an invitation to be involved and ask for support.

We engage in a similar
practice at The Foundation. We spend
time time reflecting on our work throughout the year. At year's end, we
determine how well we did against our goals, spend some time with this information
and use what we learned to refine our goals for the next year. This year was no different.

Here are some goals we have on
deck for 2018. This will be a year for
learning at The Foundation. We will examine and clarify The Foundation's role
in advocacy efforts. We will explore and test ideas for convening people around
issues of concern to the Foundation as part of our refined capacity building
strategy and will invite partners in our geographic regions to join us in this
effort. We will share what we learn through this process.

The Foundation will unveil an updated look and launch our new website very soon. A section will be
dedicated to community level indicators and data supporting the Foundation's
goals. We are very excited about making this information available to our
grantees and others interested in our work. We will continue improving our
grantmaking practice, and are committed to sharing what we learn with others. We
have committed to getting closer to young people with mental illness, substance
use disorders, learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities. Through
their voices, we hope to gain better understanding about their hopes and concerns
and, ideas for how the Foundation could use its resources and make a difference.

There you have it, our agenda
for 2018. You can see why I think it so important to share. We can't do
everything alone and look forward to engaging with many of you over the next 12
months in our efforts.